Morristown streets to close this weekend for roundabout conversion
"Getting around" Morristown will take on a new meaning after this weekend, when one of its busiest intersections will be replaced with a new roundabout connecting three streets one block off the Green.
Preliminary work to lay concrete additions and extensions at the intersection of Morris, Spring and Wilmont streets began in February. The closure is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Friday and continue to 3 p.m. Sunday, town officials said.
The intersection will be closed during that time but vehicle and pedestrian traffic to Spring Hills, local businesses and public parking lot No. 10 will be maintained.
The roundabout was approved as part of the M Station redevelopment project. Redevelopment area bonds were issued to cover the $3.5 million cost, Morristown Administrator Jillian Barrick said.
Primary tenant Deloitte recently occupied its new space at M Station. Work during the upcoming closure will allow for the next phase of development there, planners said.
Town officials also said the roundabout is being installed in an effort to “reduce carbon emissions, prevent serious accidents, reduce vehicle delays, increase fuel efficiency, reduce speeding and increase pedestrian safety.”
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Developers say roundabout intersections are more compact than the previous generation of traffic circles, and have become increasingly popular in New Jersey and across the country as “a safer, more consistent approach to regulating traffic - vehicular, pedestrian, cyclist, and commercial - through densely developed urban and suburban areas.”
A 2018 update of a 2015 Strategic Highway Safety Plan from the New Jersey Department of Transportation recommended roundabouts as among "successful countermeasures" to improve safety on local roads, state highways, and interstates.
The 2019 New Jersey Highway Safety Improvement Program annual report stated the "systemic pilot roundabout program to reduce injury crashes at intersections has also been a success as more counties are interested in building modern roundabouts.
NJDOT also has a pilot program to install at least one roundabout in every county using federal Highway Safety Improvement Funds.
How to use a traffic roundabout
With the information about the road closures, the town also released tips and a link to a video on how to navigate a roundabout.
Before entering a roundabout:
Slow down;
Overhead signs approaching the roundabout will alert drivers when to merge into the appropriate lane in advance of entry;
Traffic always comes from the left, so monitor flow before entry;
Yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians waiting at crosswalk.
Town officials said the roundabout will accommodate large commercial vehicles and trucks, private vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Crosswalks are installed at every entrance and exit, accompanied by rapid-flashing signage and hawk signals.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morristown streets to close for roundabout conversion
